December 21, 2003 #6

 

Scripture Reading: Revelation 21:1-8 page 878.

1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." 5 He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." 6 He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. 8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars-- their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death." (NIV)

 

Why are there lights at Christmas time?  Our answer is that Jesus is the light of the world so lights and candles are an appropriate expression of the season.  But the question is, in what sense is Jesus the light of the world.  This is my sixth message on that subject.

Is it insensitive to say Merry Christmas to someone you know has recently been separated from their family?  All of us know people for whom this Christmas season has every prospect of being awful.  It is not just families that are separated but people have financial woes, health problems, grieving losses, children in Iraq, and the like.  Should these people be encouraged to think about something else other than Christmas?  If you wish them happy holidays and Merry Christmas are you really just bringing up bad thoughts for them that would be better off not thought about?

When we begin thinking like this it is important to remind ourselves that we live by faith and not by sight.[1]  If we walked by sight, we could easily be discouraged.  Bad guys too often win.  Good people often too often lose.  Too many bad things happen to good people for us to accept that what we see on this earth is what should be or what will be.

There is a reality that we are moving towards that is different from the world as we now know it.  Our Scripture reading for today describes that reality.  It is not psychotic to live by a future reality.  It is psychotic to live by a false reality.  It makes better sense to live by what does not pass away than by what is fleeting.  Living by the imperatives of that future reality is what it means to live by faith and not by sight.

Jesus lived by a future reality.  The Bible actually encourages us to do the same.  The writer of Hebrews 12:2 said, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”  We see that present difficulties, including the cross and its shame, were set within the perspective of the joy that would one day come.

We could say that Christmas for Jesus was the start of the “present reality” but it was not the true reality.  The manger was not the summary of Jesus.  Mother Mary and Joseph were not the summary.  A boy growing up, or an adult in mental and spiritual contest with detractors, was not what Jesus was about.  Even the cross and the resurrection were not it.  They were the experiences of those moments that were pointing in a direction.

Psychologists often encourage people to be in the now so they are not in denial.  I am thinking that Jesus was not entirely in the now.  He was also living in the future with its joy.

I already know what everybody in our family is getting for Christmas.  I am already savoring it.  I’m all excited.  The adults aren’t getting much.  It’s a bummer being an adult at Christmas time.  The grandkids on the other hand are making a haul.  We got one of the grandkids something that needs assembly.  My wife wondered if we should we put it together for them.  No way.  That is an experience parents should have with their children.  I, as a grandfather, should not interfere with that wonderful moment of bonding between parent and offspring.  On the other hand, when the thing gets all put together there is going to be a lot of fun in that house.   When you see the words “some assembly required” on a box it illustrates my point completely.  While there is no immediate joy in your experience, there is a promise of a better day.

Getting back to our text, this future joy is movingly described.  It describes the time when the light of Jesus Christ is unrestrained on his end, and unimpeded on our end.  In verse 3 we have the future: "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."   

The old order is coming to an end.  When it ends so will death, mourning, pain, and tears.  What a party that will be?  Can you even imagine that in your wildest imagination?  How much fun life will be when you are not worrying about pain or death!

Currently, ministry is wiping tears from some eyes.  This is temporary.  It is good to wipe away tears.  To delay death or to reduce pain are things to give one’s life to.  It is the work of God at this moment to do such things.  I need to add that it is not enough to dry tears without pointing to the light.  This is the shortcoming of so many helpful organizations.  They are all about the tears.  But if you wipe away my tear today, what about my tear tomorrow?  It will just come back.

To live a healthy and positive life is good.  To maximize your energy and motivation adds zest.  Even as I fire myself up, I know it won’t last.  No matter how fast I am today, someone will be faster tomorrow.

The government wants faith-based organizations to counter darkness and wipe away tears but too often they want us to leave our lights at home.  Solve this problem but don’t use the one solution that actually works.

 

 

            The birth of Jesus was a leading indicator, as they like to say.  When you saw that, you were catching a glimpse of the future.  His first miracle of healing must have sent a shiver and gasp through the universe.  Not since the sin of Adam and Eve had the world been free of disease.  When he raised Lazarus from the dead, the wings of angels must have fluttered.  It was like the home run slugger hitting a few out of the park in batting practice.  O yea, we will be seeing more of that.  When Jesus himself came out of the grave, it was pain’s most painful moment as the sting of death staggered and fell.

            Faith is living in the reality of the future as though it were already here.  It is already here, but not yet fully actualized.  What does the Scripture say?  “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”[2]

 

 

Go ahead, wish them a Merry Christmas.  Wish them a joyous holiday. The light of Jesus Christ at Christmas time means that the Almighty God, the Alpha and Omega has taken on human form.  A piercing light entered the world.  Although it is contained in human flesh for the moment, its very presence is a warning that it will one day drive out all darkness.  The darkness of this moment is only temporary.  There may be a few reminders around your house that we are not in heaven yet.  But Christmas itself is a statement that we will be.

            The day is coming when there will only be light.  Darkness will be gone.  Death itself will be killed.  Pain will disappear into the black hole, dragging in the last tear after itself.  If I could preach like Handel could write music, I would have just launched into the preaching version of the hallelujah chorus.